South Africa completes T20 winning chase record with 259-4
Centurion, Mar 26: South Africa completed the highest successful chase in Twenty20 international cricket to reach 259-4 and beat West Indies by six wickets in a record-breaking game on Sunday.
West Indies was asked to bat first in the second game of the series and made 258-5, meaning the match at Centurion was the first T20 international where 500 or more runs were scored.
South Africa chased down the huge target with seven balls remaining after Quinton de Kock smashed 100 from 44 balls for his first T20 international century, and fellow opener Reeza Hendricks hit 68 from 28.
Their 152-run stand for the opening wicket put South Africa on its way to its record-breaking chase. Captain Aiden Markram guided the Proteas home with his 38 not out, leaving the series level at 1-1 with one game to play.
"We just wanted to give our side a bit of hope and that's what we did," de Kock said of his partnership with Hendricks.
Johnson Charles flayed 118 from just 46 balls to set up West Indies' big total, with support from Kyle Mayers, who made 51, and Romario Shepherd, who hit 41 not out.
Charles' innings was the fastest T20I century by a West Indies batter, his 39-ball knock eight quicker than the previous record set by Chris Gayle in 2016. Only David Miller of South Africa, Rohit Sharma of India and Sudesh Wickramasekara of Czech Republic all in 35 balls have scored faster T20I centuries.
Charles smashed 11 sixes to play a big part in another record for the game. There were 35 sixes, the most for a T20 international. Charles also hit 10 fours in an innings that seemed destined to give West Indies a series victory, but de Kock and South Africa had other ideas.
"It was pretty, pretty crazy," West Indies captain Rovman Powell said. "When we came off halfway we thought we had enough. But credit to Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks. They applied pressure from ball one."
The teams will now play a series-decider in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
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Suvendu Adhikari says Bangladesh should be taught a “lesson like Israel taught Gaza”
Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari has sparked controversy after stating that Bangladesh should be taught a “lesson like Israel has taught Gaza.”
Adhikari made the remark while speaking to reporters outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata on Friday, December 26. “These people must be taught a lesson, just like Israel taught Gaza. Our 100 crore Hindus and the government working in the interest of Hindus must teach them a lesson just as we taught Pakistan a lesson in Operation Sindoor,” he said.
The statement came amid protests being held outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission since December 22, following the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a 27-year-old garment factory worker in Bangladesh. Das was killed on December 18 in the Mymensingh district, where his body was allegedly hung from a tree and set on fire in public view.
Adhikari was part of a five-member delegation that met senior officials of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission on Friday. Speaking after the meeting, he claimed that the diplomats had “no answer to most of his questions” related to the killing and the situation of minorities in Bangladesh.
Reacting to his comments, the All India Trinamool Congress accused the BJP of promoting hate and intolerance. In a post on X, the party described Adhikari’s remarks as hate speech and alleged that they amounted to a call for violence, while also questioning the absence of legal action against him.
Adhikari’s statement has added to political tensions in West Bengal and raised concerns over inflammatory rhetoric linked to sensitive international and communal issues.
The @BJP4India’s Bengal ‘face’ wants a Gaza like operation against Bangladesh. Dog whistles that the @narendramodi government is for ‘Hindus’ only. Do you concur with this @narendramodi @DrSJaishankar ? Dirty politics of Divide and Rule won’t work in Bengal, @SuvenduWB pic.twitter.com/vLWm9b3AXb
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 27, 2025
